happy canada

This e-mail was recently forwarded to me, asking for my agreement and requesting that I send it on to everyone I know if I do indeed agree. Before we get started, let me state that I DO NOT on any level agree with the ideas that are stated here. In fact, I was so upset and appalled by the e-mail that it almost brought me to tears, as melodramatic as that sounds. Please, read on...people need to try to understand each other before any problem can be solved, but more than that, it is actually reading stuff like this that can validate in your own mind how you actually feel about some things, and that CAN be powerful.

Subject: Article printed in the Toronto Star

Maybe this will hit home to the politicians who just made it okay
for ceremonial swords to be worn to school and who years ago gave
permission for turbans to be worn by certain RCMP officers instead
of the normal attire.

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be Canada if we
continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other
countries that came to live in Canada because it is the Country of
Choice?????? Think about it!

All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS?
I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by
everyone we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it
has to be Season's Greetings. It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break.
Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas
holiday? We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend
anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a
problem with that.

This says it all! This is an editorial written in a Toronto newspaper.

IMMIGRANTS, NOT CANADIANS MUST ADAPT.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending
some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of
Canadians. However...... the dust from the attacks had barely
settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began complaining
about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone
who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada. Our population is
almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there
are a few things that those who have recently come to our country,
and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of
Canada being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our
sovereignty and our national identity. As Canadians.......we have
our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.
This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and
victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH/FRENCH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese,
Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become
part of our society, learn the language!

"We Stand On Guard For Thee" is our national motto. This is not some
Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto
because Christian men and women, on Christian
principles, founded this nation..... and this is clearly
documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of
our schools.

If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the
world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we
really don't care how you did things where you came from.

This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle.

But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and
griping....... about our flag.......our pledge...... our national
motto........or our way of life....I highly encourage you to take advantage of
one other Great Canadian Freedom.......THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

So that is that, but I can't end without adding a couple thoughts of my own. Yes, Canadians DO have that right to leave, and quite frankly if our country's vibrant multiculturalism bothers some people, those people need to be aware that there are other countries that are far less open-minded than ours, that do not encourage the co-existance of other backgrounds and traditions, and expect all people to hold the same beliefs and lifestyles. So, perhaps those Canadians who are offended by people's differences should consider moving elsewhere. It's sad, though, because anyone who sees a person different than themselves and instantly writes them off as a threat to Canadian culture is missing out on the most beautiful thing about being a Canadian. Because in Canada, we ARE multicultural--that IS a part of our identity, like it or not. After all, Canada's population growth is due mostly to new immigrants, so why should the white "Christian" Canadians expect that all these beautiful new Canadians adopt everything we have done in the past? By coming here, they do adopt a lot of our culture, more than most people realise, but they also add to it, too, by bringing their own histories, their own stories, their own clothing, languages, food and beliefs. They are NEW Canadians...they are not a part of our past, but they are a part of our future.

This is all a part of time passing and history being made. Canada isn't a predominately white, Christian country anymore, but thanks to it's multiculturalism, it is still okay to BE a white, Christian Canadian. What isn't okay is thinking that that is the only way to be because that's the way it was in the past.

So, before you eat another snack of crackers and cheese (French) or take another sip of your coffee (Ethiopian), before you attend your next yoga class (Hindu) or listen to music containing a piano (Italian) ask yourself what any of us would be, from any country, if we never learned from, loved, and respected each other. Borders and countries are man-made. In the bigger, purer picture, this world belongs to, and is shared by all of us. The problem is not immigration. The problem is a lack of respect...and in order to recieve respect from other people, you need to try doling it out, first.

P.S. It is still okay to say "Merry Christmas," but on the same note, it is also okay when someone says "Happy Hunakkah," "Happy Ramadan" or "Have a great holiday."

here it is

My new life has started, and has actually been in place for two weeks now...the ambitious and optimistic part of myself expected something more dynamic than reality has provided, and so as of yet I have no life-changing and world-shifting stories to report. I am, however, delighted at my personal growth. If the world is not a better place for it yet, I believe it will be with time. I am a believer in both accumulating changes over time to make an ultimately larger impact, and the butterfly effect theory--you never can actually know the true consequences of a solitary action, however small. Since almost any individual person would have a difficult time making positive and effective changes to the foundations of society over a two week period, I have focused mostly on improving my own lifestlye, partly to avoid becoming a lifestlye hyprocrite and partly to keep myself motivated to do more, on an increasingly larger scale.

Since moving here, I have walked an hour and a half a day as my "commute" to and from work, instead of burning fossil fuels and subjecting myself to road-rage (which, unfortunately I seem to be quite prone to. Hopefully that will go away with time as well). I have also stopped eating meat out of respect for other life, not to mention the energy sources it takes to produce livestock for the sole purpose of killing them. I even went thrift shopping, a relatively unheard-of event in the life and times of Princess Sunshine (I am an incurable shopper, and so instead of trying to break myself from a love of clothing and style, I am aiming to redirect it). I am trying not to buy things new anymore, since it is far more efficient (and much less expensive, it turns out) to buy items that are previously owned. It falls under that whole "reuse" section of the three R's. It is also connected to my dislike of all things capitalist and corporate, but that is a different topic for a different time.

What I have learned over the past two weeks is that these personal lifestyle changes I have accomplished can hardly be called an accomplishment at all. I have been amazed again and again by how easy it is to live a simpler and more world-friendly life. If all people could see how easy and satisfying it is to walk to the grocery store instead of drive, to use cloth bags instead of plastic ones, to make vegetarian meals instead of following a diet centred on meat, than I really believe more people would choose this route. It is cheaper, it leaves a person with more energy, and it provides one with the underlying feeling of doing something of greater good, and those are just some of the selfish reasons! I was expecting a far greater battle. Now I suppose I have learned that my battle lies elsewhere, and that's fine. I can't run out of things to do yet! This story really has only just begun.